Best Iceland Itinerary Suggestions

Every day I get reader mail and comments on my blog posts in regards to planning a trip to Iceland. The questions I get most of the time are related to Iceland trip itinerary suggestions for one, two, three, four, five, six days, a week and more. So I decided to put all those recommendations in one place and create several suggested Iceland trip itineraries for different durations of your stay.

These suggested Iceland trip itineraries are based on our experience (all, except the longest one of two weeks). The shorter trips, up to one week, only focus on Reykjavik and South Iceland and can be done in any season. The two longer trips – Akureyri to Reykjavik and the complete Iceland Ring Road tour – are recommended in summer only. Someone told me I shouldn’t say it’s not possible to do the round trip in winter. It’s true, it’s not impossible, but you might face road closures and icy roads, so I do not recommend driving in the North in winter unless you are very flexible with your schedule and feel confident driving on ice.

I tried to include the most beautiful places of Iceland in each itinerary, so that you get the most out of your trip, no matter how much time you have in Iceland, or in which season you travel.

First, let me tell you that Iceland is worth a longer trip than just a day or two. No matter whether you’re traveling in summer or in winter, I think one week is the minimum time you need in order to see at least some of the main highlights of Iceland. Nevertheless, I know that Iceland has become a popular stopover destination and there are many people looking for suggestions on what to see and do in Iceland in just one, two, or three days. Thus this post, to help other travellers in planning their trip to Iceland.

Below is an overview of several suggested Iceland trip itineraries for different durations of your stay. In order not repeat myself, I only give a longer explanation of the specific location once. So if you are looking at a three day trip in Iceland, you’ll have to read the explanation of day one and day two as well.

Best Iceland itinerary suggestions for any trip from one day to two weeks

1 day stopover in Iceland – best of Reykjavik in a day

Reykjavik isn’t such a big city, so you can see the main highlights in just half a day:

Walk along the waterfront and see the two main landmarks – the Harpa concert hall and the Sun Voyager sculpture.

Stroll the two main shopping streets, Laugavegur and Skólavörðustígur.

Visit the Hallgrimskirkja church and make sure you go all the way to the top for the best views.

If you have time, you can visit one of the museums of Reykjavik.

In the afternoon head to the Blue Lagoon – the most famous hot tub of Iceland. It’s located a bit outside of the city and the best way to get there is by booking a bus transfer that includes the entrance to the Blue Lagoon. Book your Blue Lagoon experience here.

How to spend two days in Iceland (no car needed)

If you have two days in Iceland, spend one day in Reykjavik and the Blue Lagoon (as described above), and the second day exploring outside the city.

The most popular day trip from Reykjavik is a visit to the area called the Golden Circle. It includes a visit to Thingvellir National Park, Gullfoss waterfall, and the Geysir area. You can do this tour by car, but if you don’t feel like renting a car for just a day, you can easily book one of the organised tours. Here you can book a Golden Circle group tour or a private tour.

What to do and see in Iceland in three days (no rental car needed)

Day 1: Reykjavik city tour + Blue Lagoon Day 2: The Golden Circle Day 3: South Coast – glaciers, waterfalls and beaches

Days one and two as above. Day 3. Another great day trip from Reykjavik is a trip to Southern Iceland. The highlights include: black sand beaches of Vik, Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss waterfalls, and also glaciers. Here is the best price-quality day trip to South Coast that I found. Alternatively, check out this tour – it is more expensive, but it includes glacier hiking as well.

Once again, you can do this tour with a rental car, or you can book a day trip from Reykjavik. If you rent a car, consider staying in Hvergaderi area after you visit the Golden Circle, instead of heading back to Reykjavik. It will save you quite some driving time. If you do this, you can easily add a glacier hike to your day 3 itinerary as well.

Days 1-3 as above. Day 4. Take one of the many hikes in Skaftafell National Park. Then drive to the famous glacier lagoon – Jokulsarlon. You can explore the area of the lagoon on foot or – weather permitting – take a boat tour on the glacial lake. Make sure to also visit the Jokulsarlon beach, also called the Diamond beach, and the smaller glacial lagoon Fjallsarlon.

Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon

Iceland itinerary for five to six days

The main highlights from days 1 to 4. In addition, you can add some of the following highlights to your 5-6 day Iceland itinerary:

What to see and do in Iceland in one week

I have already shared our detailed one week Iceland trip itinerary in one of the previous posts. While it’s a winter itinerary, you can do the exact same trip any time of the year. In summer the days will be much longer and so you’ll have more time to explore and/or add some additional activities to your trip.

In summer, consider a trip to see whales or puffins. And I definitely recommend spending more time in Skaftafell NP. There are some amazing hikes in this national park!

Skaftafell National Park

The best Iceland road trip in summer – 10 days from Akureyri to Reykjavik

The first time we visited Iceland in summer, we took ten days to explore this beautiful country. This is our 10-day Iceland trip itinerary from Akureyri to Reykjavik in a nutshell. If I find more time, I’ll post a detailed ten day itinerary later, but this should give you an idea of where to go and how much time you need. Please note that this is a summer itinerary. We visited in June, and there were still quite some places we couldn’t get to and things we couldn’t do. I would only recommend this trip in July or August, maybe still in September.

Day 1: Flight to Akureyri Day 2: Akureyri via Godafoss to Mývatn Day 3: Highlights of Myvatn Day 4: Dettifoss, and to the Eastern part of Iceland Day 5: Eastern fjords to Höfn Day 6: Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon and excursion to Ingölfshöfdi puffins Day 7: Skaftafell National Park Day 8: Vik black sand beach, Skogafoos and Seljalandsfoss waterfalls, Hekla volcano lava fields Day 9: The Golden Circle Day 10: Reykjavik

Namaskard geothermal area

Complete trip around Iceland Ring Road in two weeks

Like the 10-day trip, the complete Iceland round trip is best done in July or August.

Day 1: Flight to Keflavik (Reykjavik) and drive to the Hveragerdi area Day 2: The Golden Circle: Thingvellir, Geysir en Gullfoss Day 3: Southern Iceland – glaciers, waterfalls and beaches Day 4: Skaftafell National Park – Jokulsarlon – Fjallsarlon Day 5: Eastern fjords, excursion to Papey island by boat Day 6: To Myvatn and the highlights of Myvatn area Day 7: Húsavik and Akureyri Day 8: Northwest Iceland to Westfjords Day 9: To Isafjordur Day 10: Isafjördur Day 11: Dynjandi waterfall and the birds of Latrabjarg Day 12: Ferry over Breidafjördur to Snaefellsnes peninsula Day 13: Snaefellsnes peninsula Day 14: Reykholtsdal and Reykjavík Day 15: Reykjavik and flight back home

Super double extra triple bookmarked! It is my dream to visit Iceland in the winter and see the northern lights but you are offering so many more awesome ideas I love it! I am not sure when I will get to go but I will be sure to follow this itinerary and all of your tips!

Very timely for me, I have 24 hour stopover this summer and just booked my Blue Lagoon ticket yesterday. I can’t read beyond your 1-day itinerary because I’m already sad at all the things I’m going to miss!

This is perfect!!! I’m glad I came across this. I’ll be visiting Iceland for 3 days in May before heading to London and my 3-day itinerary is exactly as you recommend. Even though I’m visiting towards the end of May, I guess I better pack for cold weather!! This make me feel better. Great guide!!

Hi Livi, glad you found this itinerary reassuring. There is a lot you can do in a specific place, but here I cover the highlights, which I think most people want to see if traveling somewhere for the first time. As for packing, I really don’t know about May, I think you can have all kinds of weather, just as any other season. Pack a warm waterproof outer layer, and several other layers so you are flexible. You can check this post for Iceland packing suggestions. Have a wonderful trip to Iceland!

I have a slight dilemma, Our flight arrives at 2 PM on Tuesday and leaves on 4 PM Thursday. We would like to plan our trip so that we CAN do the Golden Circle, Reykjavik, and blue lagoon. Just not quite sure which would fit what day. If you were working with that time frame, What would you recommend?

Thank you for such quick response. My wife’s bucket list is the Blue Lagoon. So she would like to spend as much time there as possible. Realistically, How much time is Enough time for blue lagoon with a 4 year old and 7 year old. Also, we are planning to rent a car. About how much time should we allocated for Golden Circle starting at reykjavik and back?

Lastly, 1 restaurant (family style) you would recommend? Our anniversary falls on middle day of our 3 day trip. Thank you SO much!

Hi Ted, Blue Lagoon will take you 2-4hrs. It takes some time to get in, change, etc. I don’t think you can spend more than an hour, maybe a bit longer in the pool with kids, but you know your kids better of course. It’s far from the city centre, so it will take some time to get there. Count a good half day in total. I would count a (relaxed) day for the Golden Circle. If you come back earlier, spend that time in Reykjavik downtown. As for restaurants, I really don’t know. Check Trip Advisor for some recommendations.

You have covered a lot on your trips and it is great to see. I think that your pictures are beautiful too. Definitely, pinned this for when I return to Iceland as you give a great range of tips and recommendations.

If you can, try to take at least 5-6 days for a stopover in Iceland, Mar. If I remember well, Icelandair allows up to 7 days stopover at no additional cost, so it’s a great way to combine Iceland with another trip.

Hi Kathy, I assume you’re coming from the US? Icelandair flies to different places in Europe and offers a free stopover in Iceland. So it’s easy to combine with lets say The Netherlands or U.K. or Belgium. All these are just +-3hrs flying from Reykjavik. I have some posts on the blog about the Netherlands, you could stay in Amsterdam and make some short day trips in the area (Alkmaar, Kinderdijk, Zaanse Schans, Giethoorn…). Alternatively, in Belgium I would suggest Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp and Brussels. Not sure if this is your kind of trips. If you like nature more, you could try Scotland or Faroe Islands… Hope this helps a bit.

Hi Jurga! I found this post today and I followed your tour without knowing it jajaja. I´, going on September with my mother and after a loooooooooooot of research, Excels, Words and blogs the idea will be:

Day 1: I arrive early in the morning and already have the Blue Lagoon tickets at 12, and then go to Reykjavic at the late afeternoon 2: Free day to visit Reykjavic with walking city tour 3: Golden Circle 4: South coast tour+Jökulsárlón glacier (i´m combining these to have an extra day) 5: ????? 6: Snaefellsnes peninsula 7: I leave early in the morning

My question for you is: What tour do you recomend for the day 5 between these ones: a)Langjökull glacier b)Víðgelmir lava tube cave c)Westman Islands d)Day Trip to Landmannalaugar e)Reykjanes Peninsula

I can only do tours, no driving and I´ve to go back to Reykjavic to sleep because i´ve the hostel paid already. Thank you!!!!

Hi Maria Laura, you’ll have a very busy schedule this way, but since you’re not driving I guess it’s feasible. If I were you, I’d not stay in Reykjavik on Day 2 and go on one of the tours instead. Because afterwards you have 3 very full days with lots of time in the car, so maybe do another tour on Day 2, and then Reykjavik on Day 3 or 4. Also, the day to the Golden Circle is usually not a very full day (depending on what option you choose), so you’ll still have time to see Reykjavik when you return that same day. When you spend a couple of hours in Reykjavik you’ll have a better feeling on how small it actually is, and then maybe you’ll decide that you don’t really need a full day in the city after all. That would give you an extra day to explore the other places that really interest you or spend more time on the South Coast. The South Coast + Jokulsarlon day trip will be particularly long. They usually recommend doing it in two days – much more relaxed option, even if that means that you paid an extra night for the hostel, I think it’s worth it. You can even combine it with a glacier hike as well. Check this out for all options. But I see that many people do it in one day and the reviews are good, so I guess it’s still worth it, even if it means that you’ll be in the car for the biggest part of the day… As for the recommended tours from your selection, I would go with day trip hiking in Landmannalaugar. It’s my opinion, of course, because I love hiking. This area looks amazing, and very different from anything else. Hope this helps! Have a wonderful trip!

Thank you so much Jurga. You”re reading my mind haha. I thought of doing Reykjavik on Day 2 because we aren’t sleeping the night before do to the plane but I’m also seeing that it’s a small city so perhaps we can do a short tour or a local pool that day. The order may vary of course. I’m going with my 68 year mother who has prosthetic knees although she’s very active, she can hike but not for hours so I’m worry that it’ll be too much. The same with the lava cave. Ice cave sounds easy and the Westman Islands too.

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Hi, I’m Jurga. A traveller with a camera and a mom of three boys. On this blog I share our family's travel experiences all over the world, coupled with lots of practical information and useful tips. My pictures will inspire you to discover new destinations and my stories will prove that you can take your kids anywhere.Join us as we discover the world one beautiful adventure at a time!Read more about me, my family, and our trips all over the world...